A - Amber color with a finger of fizzy off white head, no lacing.S - Unpleasant aroma, lots of toffee, biscuit and slightly burnt caramel malt, some candied orange, slight pine, and alcohol.T - Extremely sweet, wayyy too much malt, thats all you really get in here, some grapefruit and sweet orange, and there's a lot of booziness to it. Even a tad soapy.M - Somewhat smooth, but definitely some alcohol burn.O - Not good, too much malt sweetness and not enough bitterness. (501 characters)

Impressive deluxe packaging with Alan Pugsley's signature in gold and gold foil over the capping. Suggests you are getting a lot of quality for only $5.

Poured into a Sierra Nevada IPA glass from the 22 oz. bottle.

a: Clear amber with an inch tall off-white head which receded to surface foam and dense lacing.

s: Pretty heavy caramel malt. Surprisingly malty aroma for a DIPA.

t: Malt and hop combo gives way to strong caramel malt flavor. Bitterness lingers at the sides of the tongue like it should for a good DIPA. High ABV (over 9%) is well concealed.

m: Moderate. Good body.

o: Like a very hoppy English bitter or real ale. In fact I'd call it an English style DIPA, and as such ideal for this guzzler. Hopheads who do not like such a strong caramel malt backbone might not go for this as well as I did. But I will definitely be buying more whenever I see it.

UPDATE 3/3/14: This is out in fourpacks now. YAY!!! The first bottle from mine is being consumed as I type. Best before Nov. 2014. Only thing I would change from my original review is, the color is a deep dark amber. Strong caramel malt aroma and flavor and powerful hop bite are both there as before. Am lowering my mouthfeel rating from 4.5 to 4.0, as it's not as silky smooth as a few DIPAs I've had since,. But other than that I stand by my originals. (1,330 characters)

The aroma is more malty and sweet than hoppy with a sort of citrus zing thrown in for good luck. The citrus is akin to pineapple.

The body is medium and basically pretty smooth.

The taste is also rather sweet and malty with a dose of citrus and a low to moderate bitterness at the end.

This beer does not get great reviews on BA it seems. I think people are missing the point. The XXXX stands for the fact that that they use 4 different hop varieties in the brewing process. It does not mean that it would be an extraordinarily bitter and hopped up beer. (762 characters)

Drinks thinner on flavor, thicker with booziness, yet still bursting with oily dank hoppiness and the big bitterness levels that come with the territory. Somewhat less-sweet toffee and more mild chocolate comprise the malt offering. Lots of pine and citrus dominate. Grapefruit and bitter orange make up the fruitiness. Not too shabby.

Medium-bodied with a certain slickness. Surptisingly not that sticky. Also surprising is the mototing level of carbonation.

This works. It's not the greatest hop flavor that you get, but it's sturdy and looks damn fine in a snifter. (816 characters)

From bottle to glass light amber color with nice head.a: Light amber color, 1 finger width heads: Malts, hops with a grapefruit smellt: Sweet tasting IPA, some bitterness, slight aftertastem: Medium body, with a bitterness to ito: Very good IPA, smoother than expected, some bitterness, but not overpoweringPurchased single bottle, but will buy a six pack next time. (372 characters)

T | Sweet light malty start quickly broadens across the pallet. This is mellowed by the floral quality of the hops with a swelling bitterness. Very bitter lingering aftertaste, but very pleasant for a beer with such a doss of hops.

M| Silky smooth. Feels surprisingly thick given the appearance, but in a very pleasing way.

O | Looks great, smells fantastic, sips well and carries you on a wave of flavor that gently drops you off on buzzed beach. Successive sips taken quickly will build the alchol burn which can quickly dominate the flavor, however. I think that if they dialed back the abv and hops just a tad this would be the ultimate weekend-with-the-buddies-lets-have-a-couple beer, and as it stands its an amazing sip-for-hours beer. (994 characters)

A well-crafted beer that unfortunately suffers in the most crucial part: taste. Pours a nice dark gold with dottings of lace, smells of pine, grass and mild citrus, but the taste is bitter and malty; common characteristics of a high ABV beer. I definitely need a big glass of water as a palate cleanser afterward as well. (321 characters)

T: A pretty sweet tasting IPA. Seems like lots of dry hopping. Very floral again, with peaches and honey. Think mead. Lingering bitterness at the end. Heavily bittersweet, at both ends of the spectrum. Don't notice the high ABV.

M: Pretty viscous and heavy with light carbonation. The high ABV is not present here either.

O: This is great. Uncharacteristic of most IPA's but wonderful in it's own way. Taste with an open mind. (592 characters)

625 mL bottle from the LCBO; best before July 2013. This is a style I don’t get around to trying very often, but as a hophead, I am rarely displeased with them. Served slightly chilled, and poured into a tulip.

Pours a hazy amber-orange colour, topped with one finger of dense, creamy, off-white coloured head that gradually seeps away over the next few minutes, leaving behind a thin collar around the margin and a few wisps on the surface. Not much lacing initially, but subsequent pours generate copious smears of the stuff. Looks fairly effervescent. On the nose I am getting mostly butterscotch and pink grapefruit, a little pine, and suggestions of biscuits and lemon. The malts are quite prominent, but the hops are strong enough to pinpoint this as a DIPA vs. something else (e.g. barleywine).

Decent flavour, with the profile astutely balanced between sweetness and bitterness. The malty butterscotch and biscuit malts are strong contributors, but the pink grapefruit, pine sap and grassy notes of the American hops round everything out nicely, with some additional fruity apricot notes for added measure. Finishes with a bitter, herbal, almost woody note and a bit of heat from the ethanol. On the heavier side of medium-bodied, with the oily hops and very weak carbonation giving it a silky-smooth mouthfeel. Fairly drinkable for the style, but after a while the sub-par alcohol masking will probably bother the uninitiated.

Final Grade: 3.80, barely scratching out a B+. Shipyard’s XXXX IPA is a serviceable DIPA with no deal-breaking flaws, but in truth it possesses very little to distinguish it from other serviceable examples of the style. In short, I like this, but I could live without it. At 9.3% I expect a certain level of booziness - but this one has a bit too much heat for that percentage, and a serious lack of complexity/variety in flavour for that booze to integrate with and prevent it from becoming an annoyance. The hop flavours could also stand to be kicked up a notch, but as far as balanced DIPAs go, this is a well put-together example that drinks nicely. A brew that I might recommend to others, and would consider picking up again – though not really a priority. Decent value at its LCBO price point considering the lack of DIPAs and barleywines, and this batch should remain tasty for at least a few more months. Worth a try. (2,371 characters)

It pours a clear orange/red color with a tan head that thins out quickly, but leaves a thin layer of foam with excellent lacing. There is a well rounded spicy/floral hop aroma that dominates the nose, but the aroma of malt refuses to be overlooked. It has a creamy mouthfeel with medium/light carbonation. The spice carries over onto the palate with notes of citrus, mainly grapefruit with the slightest hint of lemon zest. There is a bitter-sweet finish that includes notes of dark chocolate and caramel, along with the aforementioned citrus flavors. In my opinion, this is a pretty fantastic IPA. It is well rounded with a lot of character. I will buy this again and I highly recommend this beer. (698 characters)

XXXX (which I assume is even more hardcore than XXX) is a thick and thickly clouded deep burnt orange color so dark that it's almost red, a bit like rust but brighter. A head about one finger tall forms and manages good retention, leaving a mix of patching and spotting in good quantity on my glass.This is an extremely interesting DIPA and one that blurs the line between styles, making the drinker unsure of the difference between a big imperial IPA and a hoppy barleywine. Juicy hops with both citrus and tropical notes with a floral complement make up the hops profile, but malts are big here too, giving this brew even more sweetness. Alcohol is what I expect, a big warm kick, and pleasantly devoid of any fusel or ethanolic taint. This beer ultimately makes me think of candied grapefruit, if ever there was such a thing. It flows very nicely and has a big, creamy, smooth body with a very nice consistent crispness carrying it along as well.With a whole lot of competition in this style, Shipyard does it right. (1,022 characters)

12 oz bottle dated best before Jan. 2013 served in a pint glass. Pours a deep copper-amber with a tiny and fragile tan head. Perhaps the most appealing aroma of any DIPA I've sampled, this XXXX ale has strong notes of vanilla and caramel that compete with the spice and citrus notes from the hops. The flavor reflects these notes and starts quite sweet, but the hop load quickly comes to the fore. From mid-taste on, there's no mistaking this for the dessert beer your nose leads you to expect. By the finish the flavor is at least moderately bitter with some grapefruit rind, although sweet caramel and vanilla linger on.

O: a fun DIPA in that there's a real contrast between the aroma and the flavor. Easy drinking for a DIPA, but the malt/hop ration will be too high for some hop heads. (792 characters)

Bottle: Poured a deep golden color ale with a large foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of cascade hops with loads of citrus and pine notes is dominant. Taste is also dominated by loads of citrus and pine notes with a dry caramel malt base. Body is about average with good carbonation and no apparent alcohol. A bit too Cascade-centric for my own taste but well brewed and better then expected. (412 characters)

Pours thick and rich with a golden over copper color and a soapy head that dissipates quickly.

Wow... a stuffed nose could smell this one. Big malty backbone comes through. With a beer this big, that's what I expected. Sweet caramelly malt syrup, some pineapple and mango, and some floral hoppiness. My wife says "hibiscus".

No surprise of a strong malt presence takes over this beer, but there is definitely a balanced long bitter finish. Sweet tropical fruit notes come in and our of each sip as well. Nice warm throat after each sip.

Full bodied, viscous texture, great mouth coating, with just enough carbonation for as big as it is.

This is a big beer, and more malty than hoppy but delicious. I wouldnt drink too many of these though. Hides the alcohol well in taste, but not in effect. Definitely give this a try. (824 characters)

This beer is definitely in the style of a British IPA, so expect a Double British IPA, not an Imperial American IPA. The bottle description does not mention that it is a British IPA, so I was a bit surprised. I actually like the hop bitterness on the finish, but that's about it. A very average Imperial IPA, and not up-to-par with the American Imperial IPAs that I prefer (Gubna, Hoptimum, Maharaja). I actually enjoyed it the longer it sat and approached room temperature; when it was ice cold it was almost undrinkable and had a metallic taste. As I've worked my way through it I was able to tolerate it, but will never have one again. (638 characters)

Appearance - Pours a finger of yellowish lite orange foamy head that recedes to a solid cap in a few minutes, color of the ale is a very hazy orange-red amber, mediocre webbed lacing left at the end of the session.

Taste - Begins with a blast mix of floral hops, buttescotch and rum cake. I also get alot of over-ripe pit fruits, especially peach and plum. Just after midsip comes a rush of really over-ripe red grapefruit, to the point where there's a bit of moldy funk going on hear. Finish is bitter grapefruit zest and pith and some lingering off-floral hops and almost rotting sour fruits.

Mouthfeel - Nearly medium and almost creamy, medium carb cleanses the tongue with some really sharp edges actually, finish is both bitter and sour with a chalky dryness, also some alcohol heat.

Overall - I'm sorry, but this is just a terrible mess. No balance whatsoever, and some very hard punches. There are some really interesting flavors here, but this is NOT a DIPA in my opinion, far from it. This is sort of a madman's mixture of a saisson, belgian ale and a wee heavy - but it's not good at all. I'm going to try and finish this, as I hate to pour a beer down the drain. I really can't recommend this one. (1,322 characters)

Had this on tap at a well respected craft beer establishement. Without a doubt, the worst DIPA I've ever had. A horrible sour taste. It tasted so horrible I couldn't muster more than two sips. All I could get from it was sour and malt with zero hop presence. An embarrasment of a beer. (285 characters)

The pour reveals a clear, dark copper liquid with a froamy, ivory head that lasts a long time. Patches and trails of lace cling to the glass. The aroma is of pralines, field berries, christmas cake and some light herbal hops. The taste malt forward with a butterscotch, nutty and doughy character. Fruity yeast esters also show. A herbal, floral hop character provides good balance but never overshadows the malt. Medicinal alcohol is too prominent, it distracts from the interplay between malt and hops. The mouthfeel is medium-lightish with a moderate carbonation. Finish is boozy and lightly bitter.

This DIPA is restrained on the bitterness and hop character. Not my cup of tea really, and the alcohol is too prominent. (760 characters)

From the pour, Shipyard XXXX had the appearance of fresh-squeezed OJ: it was pulpy and thick, with a bright orange colour and showed no visible signs of carbonation (well, ok, a small ring of white around the glass). Into the light, however, it reflects tarnished copper and resembles less something from the smoothie bar than it does something from the antique shop.

I said the appearance resembled fresh-squeezed juice which, truthfully, was a bit of a stretch. The aroma, on the other hand, is a dead-ringer for real fruit, grapefruit and mango in particular. The glass exudes an almost tropical air, with enough lemon and orange zest to make eyebrows raise up (and likely cure raw fish). It also has a kind of resiny pine syrup scent that conceals the beer's true strength.

That this recipe was "malt-inspired" may be easy to believe when considered relative to other IPAs, but that fact isn't entirely obvious from the taste of things. Flavours of caramel corn and hard toffee are noted but come in fairly conservative doses. They could stand to be a little more forward; once the hop trigger is pulled on the finish it's all 'grapefruit rind' this and 'rose petal' that.

Lament if you will that XXXX IPA doesn't have the sunny, citric profile of other DIPAs, but don't write off the beer's hoppiness. 70 IBUs is nothing to scoff at. The finish is incessantly dry, leaving a remarkable birch bark-like taste. Besides, the buttery caramel note cowers in the presence of the earthy, herbal, zesty cones, to the extent that I'd almost wish for a bit more maltiness. The beer may be tall but it's far, far from stout.

Shipyard XXXX is a beer that has its papers; tasting notes, ingredients list, suggesting serving temp, food pairings, original gravity, even a history lesson about where the ale takes its name - will there be a test at the end? Nevermind the homework, all you need to know about this beer is that it's not in the same area code as the sunny, citric DIPAs but still worth a go if you appreciate hop-bombs of a more balanced nuance. (2,056 characters)

Appearance - Clear copper colour with an average size fizzy/frothy beige coloured head. There a low amount of carbonation and there is some decent lacing. The head lasted for 4-5 minutes.

Smell - Malts, hops, caramel, grapefruit

Taste & Mouth - There is a below average amount of carbonation and I can taste hops and malts mixed with buttery caramel. There is also some brown sugar mixed with a slight amount of grapefruit sweetness, and some anise. It ends with a fairly hoppy aftertaste.

Overall - A good amount of hops, but I can see how others have compared it to a cross between a barley wine and a DIPA. Still a very good beer, just don't expect any vibrant fruity/juicy/hoppy flavours. (737 characters)

This has got to be the maltiest "IPA" I have ever had. Now admittedly I am a real 2XIPA/Imperial IPA lover, however this beer is not even on par with a Torpedo or Burning River, for that matter. Much sweeter, maltier, and darker than any IPA I have tasted. If your looking for a truthful IPA reach instead for a Southern Tier 2xIPA, Stone Ruinatuon, Great Lakes Brewing Companies Lake Erie Monster, Dogfish head's 90 minute, Siera Nevada's Hoptimum, Harpoon's Leviathan, or Bell's Hop Slam. (490 characters)

LITERALLY THE WORST BEER I HAVE EVER HAD. HANDS DOWN. IT TASTES LIKE SOMEONE DRAINED A DUMPSTER INTO A BOTTLE AND NAMED IT XXXX. IF YOU LIKE BEER THAT ACTUALLY TASTES GOOD DO NOT GO WITH THIS ONE. IT IS DOWN RIGHT TERRIBLE AND I DONT RECOMMEND IT TO ANYONE. (257 characters)